Rebellious Grey: The Demon Girl Rises from Slavery
In the city of Granveld, where human greed turns flesh into currency, demons are born already condemned. Gurei—thirteen years old, horned, hungry, and utterly alone—has known nothing but the stinking gutters of the Ash Bottom slum. When a bounty hunter's iron grip drags her from the rain-soaked streets into the slave market's cold machinery, she is stripped of her name, her rags, and what little freedom she had left, reduced to nothing more than "property" to be priced and sold.
But something b
Rebellious Grey: The Demon Girl Rises from Slavery - Naval Battle of the Water Burial
The arena's underground was filled with the cold air that comes before dawn. The smell of sweat, blood, and mold soaked into the stone walls stung her nostrils, just as it had yesterday. Gurei woke on the thin straw and slowly traced her fingers along the black iron collar biting into her neck, as if confirming its weight. Cold. The same cold as always.
(I don't like it.)
She muttered it briefly, in her mind.
This collar, this cell, this arena—she didn't like any of it. But for now, she didn't have the strength to remove this collar. So she would gain strength. She would take everything that could be taken. Power, skill, everything.
Gurei sat up, pulled on the black chest wrap and loincloth she'd been given, and gathered her long gray hair carelessly with a cord into a ponytail. In the wooden bowl in the corner of the cell, a little of last night's water remained. She poured it down her throat in one go. The cold water passed through her dry throat like a burn.
Today was the day of the meet-and-greet for the mock naval battle.
That slip of paper the promoter Varudo had tossed in. Ten to a team, one ship each, five ships sinking one another. The team whose ship stayed afloat to the end wins. Master and disciple on the same team. A cold trap, engineered by that man.
(That man thinks putting me and that woman together will make some amusing spectacle.)
Gurei pictured Varudo's ash-green eyes. Cold eyes that measured profit. Those eyes had looked at her and Serafina as though appraising them.
From outside the cell came the sound of footsteps. Regular, light footsteps.
" Morning, Gurei. You've got that look in your eyes again today."
Serafina stood before the cell's iron bars. Long, glossy black hair. Brown skin. Long, pointed ears. A golden laurel wreath on her head, and a black corset threaded with gold emphasizing her full breasts and narrow waist. A short cloth wrapped around her hips, her thighs bare. On her back, as always, was slung the great executioner's sword.
The Queen of the Cruel Blade.
The strongest gladiator in this arena. And Gurei's master.
"...When's the meet-and-greet."
Gurei ignored Serafina's bright voice and asked shortly.
"Right now. I came to get you. Come on, let's go."
Serafina unlocked the cell. The clank of the iron bars opening echoed through the underground passage.
Gurei left the cell without a word. She fell in beside Serafina. The tall Serafina's shoulder was far above Gurei's head. Standing next to this woman, she was forced to realize how small her own body was.
(I don't like it.)
Gurei glared at Serafina's back as she started walking.
—
Eight gladiators had already gathered in the training ground.
A floor of packed earth. The flames of the candelabra lining the walls flickered. The chains hanging from the ceiling creaked faintly with someone's movement.
Gurei studied the assembled gladiators one by one, carefully.
The first to catch her eye were two human men. One was a thin man with a deep scar on his face. His gaze was sharp, and there was something restless about him. The other was a large, muscular man with old burn scars on his arms.
(Those two must be the former thief and the former adventurer.)
Gurei matched the faces against the roster Varudo had told her in advance. The former thief had the eyes of a man who wouldn't hesitate to kill. The former adventurer, by contrast, had calculating eyes. Neither was someone to be trusted.
Next, two orc slaves. Big men with pig-like faces, the flesh beneath their collars glistening with sweat. When they noticed Gurei's gaze, they shrank back slightly. The reaction of fear and loathing mixed together, toward a demon.
(They're frightened, looking at my horns.)
Gurei was conscious of the two great bull-like horns extending forward from her head. In this world, these horns were a mark of discrimination.
And then a young free citizen. Around twenty or so. Fairly handsome features, but no strength in his eyes. He'd probably drifted into this arena over a debt or something of the sort. The hand gripping his sword trembled slightly.
Then two small figures.
One was a kobold boy. Dog-like ears and a short tail. Shorter than Gurei, with a slender build. But his eyes alone were strangely sharp. The eyes of someone who had done anything and everything to survive.
The other was a human girl. Around Gurei's age, or a little older. A pale face. Gaunt cheeks. Her clothes were filthy and torn in places. According to the advance information, she'd been sold to cover a debt. Her eyes were completely dead. Eyes in which not a shred of hope remained.
(I know those eyes.)
Looking at the girl's eyes, Gurei thought.
(Those are the eyes at the bottom of the ash. The eyes of someone who's had everything taken from her, and has nothing left.)
Deep in Gurei's chest, a small pain pricked at her.
But it was only for an instant. Gurei immediately pushed the feeling down deep inside.
(This is no time for sympathy. This is a battle.)
" Everyone's here, then."
Serafina stood in the center of the training ground and spoke. Her voice was different from the bright tone of before—it carried a taut tension.
"For the next ten days, you'll be on the same ship as me and Gurei. Memorize our faces. Memorize our voices. And drill your roles into your bodies."
Serafina's golden eyes fixed on the eight gladiators in turn. Those who met her gaze straightened their backs.
"The mock naval battle is fought with teams of four to ten on a single ship. Five ships. Sink each other, and the team whose ship stays afloat to the end wins. Simple, right?"
Serafina smiled. But the smile didn't reach her eyes.
"But only the rules are simple. The actual fighting is far crueler. Slip on the deck, and you fall into the water. Fall into the water, and the enemy's spears are waiting. Don't think you can swim away from a sinking ship. Hardly anyone can swim in armor, with weapons in hand."
A heavy silence fell over the training ground.
"That's why dividing up roles matters. Who steps forward, who supports from behind. Who guards the ship, who sinks the enemy. Perfect that over ten days."
With that, Serafina turned toward Gurei.
"Gurei. You're the vanguard. Stand at the very front of the ship and hold back the enemy's attacks. That beast-like charging power of yours is perfect for the front line."
Gurei glared back at Serafina.
"...Don't give me orders."
She growled it in a low voice.
"It's not an order. It's a division of roles. It's a team battle, so everyone has a role. You're the vanguard. I'm the rear guard. I sink the enemy ships. In the meantime, you protect me."
"Protect you?"
Gurei's irritation showed plainly at Serafina's words.
"Does someone like you need anyone to protect her?"
"I do. I pour everything into sinking enemy ships. While I do, my back is wide open. So you guard my back. That's what a team battle is."
Serafina looked straight at Gurei.
Gurei glared back into those golden eyes.
(This woman is telling me she'll entrust her back to me.)
(Does she trust me?)
(Or is it just a division of roles?)
Gurei couldn't tell.
"...Fine. Vanguard it is. But don't count on me following your orders."
"That's fine. You kill the enemy your way. I'll sink the enemy ships my way. As long as the team wins, that's all that matters."
Serafina smiled, satisfied.
After that, Serafina assigned roles to the remaining seven as well. The two orcs would be the walls guarding the ship's port and starboard. The young free citizen would pass out weapons and tend the wounded. The former thief and former adventurer would be skirmishers in the center of the ship, moving as the situation demanded. The kobold boy and the girl would be in the rear, providing support by throwing spears and stones.
Gurei listened to Serafina's instructions in silence.
(That woman watches each person's traits closely.)
(She used the orcs' stamina as walls, and put the two small ones in the rear. Rational.)
Gurei couldn't help but acknowledge that Serafina's instructions were on point.
(But I don't like it.)
Gurei muttered it in her mind.
(I don't like moving the way this woman tells me to.)
(But for now, following this woman's instructions is the surest way to win.)
(I'll do everything necessary to win.)
Gurei repeated it in her mind, as if to convince herself.
—
The ten days of training were brutal.
Driven out to the training ground before dawn, they repeated mock naval battle drills over and over. On wooden platforms standing in for ships, they swung swords while keeping their balance. Thrown into shallow water-filled trenches, they crawled back out. Spear-throwing practice. Shield work. And Serafina's merciless sparring.
Gurei was slammed into the ground again and again. Covered in mud and sweat, her knees scraped, her lip split.
(This woman doesn't know the meaning of holding back.)
Lying on the ground, Gurei glared at Serafina.
" Good, those eyes. Still got fight in you?"
Serafina was smiling, not even breathing hard.
"...Of course."
Gurei stood up. Her knees were shaking. Her vision swam. Even so, she stood.
(I've decided to take everything from this woman.)
(Like I'd fall here.)
Gurei gritted her teeth and lunged at Serafina.
Between training sessions, Gurei carefully observed the movements of the other gladiators.
The kobold boy was small, but quick. His spear-throwing accuracy was impressive, too. The girl was slow, but she silently did whatever she was told. The former thief and former adventurer kept their distance from each other, never drawing closer than necessary. The two orcs had strength but were slow. The young free citizen was clumsy at everything he was given.
(That young man won't be any use in a fight.)
(That girl, as she is now, is a liability too.)
(But the kobold boy—he's usable.)
Gurei's eyes followed the kobold boy's movements.
(That boy is desperate to live. That's why there's no waste in how he moves.)
(Just like me.)
Gurei felt a faint sense of kinship with the kobold boy.
—
And then came the tenth day.
The morning of the mock naval battle arrived.
The arena was wrapped in a strange fever.
The stands, seating twelve thousand, had been full since early morning. Nobles, wealthy merchants, commoners, the poor. People of every class had crowded in to catch a glimpse of today's spectacle.
"Today at the Goldbach Arena—a special grand event! The mock naval battle!"
The announcer's voice rang out across the arena.
"Five ships will float here in this arena! The team whose ship stays afloat to the end wins! The losers sink into the water—nothing more! Now then, everyone, are your bets ready?"
A roar of cheering rose from the stands.
Gurei listened to that cheering from beneath the arena.
(This frenzy is made of our blood and our lives.)
Gurei thought it in her mind.
(I don't like it.)
(But for now, I have no choice but to win inside this frenzy.)
" Gurei. Let's go."
Serafina stood beside Gurei.
"...I know."
Gurei answered shortly.
—
In the center of the arena, a thunderous sound rang out.
Gogogogogogo...
The ground split clean in two.
A great fissure ran east to west through the center of the arena. More than ten meters deep. More than twenty meters wide.
And into that fissure, a vast quantity of water came pouring in.
From somewhere it had been channeled, muddy water filled the fissure with a roar. In an instant, the water had turned the center of the arena into a great artificial sea.
"Ooooooh!!"
A stir rose from the stands.
On the water's surface floated five wooden ships.
Ten gladiators were aboard each. Shields lined the ships' rails, and spears and swords glinted in the sunlight.
"What a magnificent sight! Five ships are about to set sail!"
The announcer's voice whipped up the frenzy.
Gurei climbed aboard their ship.
The wooden deck creaked. The sway of the water traveled up through her feet.
(So this is fighting on a s
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